The Blood of Louis XVI?
In 2010 there was excitement in the press when
a decorative gourd said to contain the blood of Louis XVI was submitted for analysis to a Spanish team of forensic biologists team under Carles Lalueza-Fox of the Barcelona Institut de biologia Evolutiv. The gourd, of a sort typically hulked out as a vessel contain gunpowder, bore the inscription, "Maximilien Bourdaloue on January 21st dipped his handkerchief in the blood of the king after his beheading".There was no cloth inside, but researchers were able to scrape dried blood from the interior. Early results of DNA testing were promising. The sample was from a male and there were strong genetic indications of an individual with blue eyes. The Y-chromosome was identified as being from a haplogroup - a set of inherited genetic variations - so rare among modern Eurasians that it was concluded that the sample must indeed belong to a royal line.
The team now needed comparative data. One possibility was the heart of Louis XVII in St.Denis which had been authenticated by DNA analysis as long ago as 1999. Unfortunately this research had relied on mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited from the female parent (the heart had been matched with genetic material from Marie-Antoinette's hair); there was no data on the nuclear DNA needed to verify the paternal line.
Here is yet another item of royal clothing ...a scarf (foulard) worn by Louis XVI during his imprisonment in the Temple, auctioned on the anniversary of his death, 21st January, in 2004. The sale was handled by the Touraine auction house of Philippe Rouillac and took place in the relatively modest venue of the salle d'honneur of the town hall in Loche. Interest was keen and rival telephone bids escalated the final sale price to a massive 70,000 €! (The reserve was a mere 5,000 €) The lucky buyers are said to have been an American family of French descent who made their purchase in order to draw attention to the part played by Louis XVI in bringing about American independence. They wished to remain anonymous and have done so pretty successfully - I certainly haven't managed to find any clues.
Being executed is a little hard on the linen....
As previously posted, one of the items in the Collection Bancel sale of 2003 was the shirt/ nightshirt Louis XVI changed out of on the morning of his execution on 21st January 1793.
The evidence of provenance is straightforward. The shirt is accompanied by a manuscript note, "Chemise left by the King Louis XVI at the Temple 21st January 1793". The shirt remained in the family of Louis's valet de chambre Cléry until 1882 when the husband of Cléry's great-granddaughter sold it to M.Philippe Gille. There are records for its sale in Rouen in 1896 and by Drouot in Pescheteau on 20 March 1965 (Lot no.43)
http://www.piasa.auction.fr/FR/vente_peintures_arts_graphiques/v5371_piasa/l576404_chemise_qui_aurait_ete_quittee_par_louis_xvi_le_matin_du_21_janvier_1793.html
In 2010 there was excitement in the press when 
